Sir Walter And Mr. Jones: Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, And The Rise Of American Golf
- ISBN-10
- 1587261871
- ISBN-13
- 9781587261879
- Pages
- 387
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2004-04
- Publisher
- Sports Media Group
- Author
- Stephen R. Lowe
Description
Walter C. Hagen and Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. were the two greatest golfers of the Golden Age of Sports, the 1920s. Both were international sports heroes, and together they did more than anyone else to establish golf as a popular sport in the United States. Yet their lives could have hardly been more different. "Sir Walter" was a professional; "Mr. Jones" an amateur. The son of German immigrants, Walter was from a nothern working class family; Bobby was born to a prominent, established southern family. Sir Walter entered the world of golf as a caddie; Mr. Jones as the son of a club member. Hagen dropped out of school by age twelve; Jones acquired degrees from Georgia Tech and Harvard before entering Emory's law school and passing the Georgia bar. Sir Walter's golf style was unconventional; Mr. Jones's was classic. Hagen seemed to embrace the so-called "roaring" side of the 1920s; Jones generally modeled old-fashioned values. If not for golf, their paths would likely never have crossed. Here for the first time is a thoroughly researched, chronological biography of both Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. Skillfully weaving their stories into one, author Stephen Lowe tracks the lives of Hagen and Jones and recounts their famous competitions. Through these famous golfers Lowe reminds us once again of the constant tension between the old and the new -- between continuity and change -- that has so deeply marked twentieth century American life. Book jacket.
